Tufted fabric



July 20, 1937. H. J. GOULET 2,087,770

TUFTED FABRIC Filed Jan. 21, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 u u v a v u v u W Wwr I my July 20, 1937. H. J. GOULET 2,087,770

TUFTED FABR 10 Filed Jan. 21, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 20, 1937 TUFTED FABRIC Henry J. Goulet, Maplewood, N. J., assignor to Bates Manufacturing Company, Lewiston,

Maine, a corporation of Maine Application January 21, 1936, Serial No. 60,150

Claims.

rics, such as spreadsand similar articles having tufted areas arranged according to a predetermined pattern, together with a new and improved 5 method of producing articles of this character.

According to the usual method of producing candlewick bedspreads which has been universally employed so far as I know, a sheet of previously woven cloth is marked or'stencilled in some manner to show the design arrangement of the tufts which are then separately sewed in by hand with a needle or similar instrumentality. It is the purpose and object of the present invention to locate the thread groups or'tufts 5 according to a predetermined pattern in the process of weaving the base fabric or sheet, and to subsequently finish the tufts by cutting or shearing to produce the desired effect.

With this and other objects in view, the vari- 20 ous features of the invention consist in certain novel features of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of which will be obvious to-those skilled in the art from the following 25 description.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 illus-' trates a cross-section partially in elevation of my improved fabric after weaving but before cutting or shearing; Fig. 2 is a view of a small 30 section of the front face of the fabric shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view of the back face of the same fabric, both Figures 2 and 3 being on an enlarged scale; Figs. 4 and 5 are views showing the front and back faces, respectively, of the same 35 fabric on a smaller scale, and illustrating the separated bands or groups of tuft strands after weaving and before shearing or cutting; Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate a plan and elevation, respectively, of the tufted fabric after cutting or shear- 40 ing of the loose strands to produce the upstanding tufts; Fig. 8 is a partially diagrammatic view showing a section across the fabric and the reciprocating cutting knives which engage beneath the loops and move transversely of the bands to sever 45 theindividual threads; Fig. 9' is a section showing a partially diagrammatic view of the same operation, illustrating the relationship of the'cutting knives to the loops; Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic view showing the shearing of the cut 60 strands; and Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic view of rotary brushes intended to engage and brush or fiuif .out the thread clumps to create the characteristic appearance shown Figs. 6 and 7.

According to the present'invention as illus- 55 trated, a series of spaced groups of warp or fill- The present invention relates to tufted fab-- ing strands extend across the face of the fabric and are woven into the base fabric at predetermined intervals. The connection of each group of loose threads to the base fabric may be and preferably is staggered with relation to the con- 5 nection for each adjacent group. Each group of loose strands is closely spaced and compact in its arrangement, and when severed between the points of connection and properly combed and clipped or sheared produces individual tufts in 10 the fashion of a c'andlewick spread with a minimum of wastage of yarn on the face of the fabric. The loose threads of each group are preferably interwoven with different numbers of cooperating threads, either warp or filling, to pro- 15 duce a connecting area generally oval, and aid not only in the securing of the loose tuft strands, but improve the shaping of the tuft itself.

In the production of the base fabric with a series of groups of loose strands on the face thereof, the loose strands are severed between the regions of connection, the loose ends .are then combed upwardly, and finally sheared to produce even, uniform tufts having a generally predetermined relation with respect to one another.

Referring particularly to the illustrated embodiment of the invention, it will be observed from an inspection of Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, that the completed fabric as produced by the loom has a series of parallel and widely separated groups of strands on its face, as indicated more particularly in Fig. 4. Each of these groups comprises a series of closely spaced warp strands, each group being tied into the base fabric at regular intervals, and the connecting regions in adjacent groups being preferably staggered with relation to one another. The back of the fabric, as indicated in Fig. 5, shows a series of rows of comparatively narrow and small connecting or binding areas, the binding areas of each row being staggered with respect to those of the next adjacent row.

Referring particularly to Figs. 4 and 5, the base fabric is indicated at Ill, and is provided upon its face with a series of groups of closely spaced strands l2, each group being preferably spaced from the next adjacent group by an amount considerably exceeding the width of the group itself. Each group of loose strands is tied into the base fabric by connecting areas indicated at H, these areas showing on the back of the fabric as indicated in Fig. 5 as generally oval spots l6.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, which illustrate the loose strands upon an enlarged scale, it will be evident that the individual strands comprising the groups are considerably larger and heavier than the threads forming the base fabric. These strands are also more loosely twisted than those of the base fabric in order that they maybe brushed or frayed out in the formation of. the tufts. For purposes of identification, the loose warp strands forming the groups are indicated at l8, the warp threads forming the base fabric are indicated at 20, and the weft or filling threads at 22. From an inspection of the drawings, particularly Figs. 6 and '7, it will be observed that through the employment of the heavierloosely twisted tuft strands which are bound into the base fabric, a characteristic upstanding and fluifed-out tuft is produced, entirely unlike the usual pile area, the conformation of which on the nap side corresponds to the area of binding to the base fabric. According to the present method the binding area is intentionally compact and smaller than the finished tuft, which presents a generally circular loose tuft upon the opposite face of the fabric.

Although any desired method of handling the warp strands may be employed, it is preferable, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art, to employ a separate warp beam for conducting the loose warps I8, together with the usual warp beam for conducting the base warps 20.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, each binding area is formed by two passes of each tuft strand through the ground fabric, the tuft strands being floated at the back over a plurality of filling threads of the ground. The strands are floated over the face of the fabric between binding areas. The back-floated arrangement in the binding areas is important because it causes the tuft strands to project outwardly from the face of the fabric whereby upstanding tufts are produced following the cutting and shearing operations to be presently described. The tuft strands of each group are separated at each pass by warp threads of the ground. Furthermore, different tuft strands l8 of each group are preferably floated over different filling threads of the ground, that is, the passes of certain of the tuft strands through the ground are staggered with respect to others, thus providing for secure engagement of the tuft strands with minimum distortion of the ground. In the specific form shown in the drawings, the passes are staggered in a manner to produce a binding area of regular oval configuration, although areas of other shapes may obviously be used.

After the production of the intermediate fabric shown in Figs. 4 and 5, with the spaced and parallel bands of loose threads, the fabric, as indicated in Fig. 9, is delivered to an apparatus for cutting the loose warp threads between the bands of connection. The method of cutting is similar to that employed in pile fabrics generally, and consists in leading the fabric over an initial roll 30 and thereafter between two sets of separated guide rolls 34 and 36, respectively. The run of the fabric between the guide rolls is engaged by reciprocating cutters 38, which are mounted upon a cutter bar 40 moving transverse-- 1y of the run of the fabric. As shown more particularly in Fig. 8, each cutter is provided with an inclined cutting edge 42 which engages beneath the thread loop as indicated at 4!, and causes the inclined edge 42 to cut the loops between the connecting bands, leaving a series of irregular projecting tufts 46, as shown in Fig. 9.

Temple rolls 50' may be employed to maintain the fabric taut in the usual manner.

After the fabric has, been cut as indicated diagrammatically in Figs. 8 and 9, the upstanding clumps of thread are sheared off to a uniform height in a manner shown generally in Fig. 10. In this case the fabric, moving in the direction of the arrow, is delivered over a guide roll 60, the thread clumps having been engaged by a brush 62 to turn them all in the same direction, and delivered to a rotary shear 64 which cooperates with a shearing blade 66 to trim the upstanding clumps to a uniform height, this method again being similar to that commonly employed in shearing pile fabrics.

After the clumps have been sheared to a uniform height it is desirable to brush or fray out the loose ends to produce the tufted effect illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. This is accomplished by passing the fabric over guide rolls l0 and 12, and subjecting the upstanding thread ends while so supported to the action of revolving brushes l4 and 16, these brushes brushing out the tufts to produce the highly-desirable effect as illustrated in Fig. 6.

It will be understood that according to the present invention a closely woven base fabric is provided'with regularly arranged but relatively widely separated tuftstied into the base fabric throughout small areas and in a manner to retain the tuft threads from withdrawal. Obviously the arrangement and location of the tie regions determines the eventual arrangement of the tufts and the consequent design of the fabric. By altering the spacing of the parallel bands and the occurrence of'the tie-in regions in each band the ultimate location and arrangement of the tufts may be predetermined, as desired.

Although for purposes of convenience the present invention is illustrated as producing the tuft strands with warps, it-will be obvious that the general purpose of the invention may be equally well accomplished by producing parallel bands of filling strands which may be accomplished with any loom designed to lay filling threads of different characteristics.

What is claimed is:

1. A fabric having a woven ground of warp and weft threads, and a plurality of groups of heavier, lightlytwisted, compressible tuft strands woven with the ground parallel to one of the sets of threads thereof, floated at the front of the fabric and connected in the ground by binding areas which are small in comparison with the spaces between them, each binding area being formed-by two passes of each tuft strand of the group through the ground, the tuft strands in each binding area being separated by parallel ground threads and floated at the back over a plurality of perpendicular ground threads between said passes.

2. A fabric having a woven ground of warp and weft threads, .and a. plurality of groups of heavier, lightly twisted, compressible tuft strands woven with the ground parallel to one of the sets of threads thereof, floated at the front of the fabric and connected in the ground by binding areas which are small in comparison with the spaces between them, each binding area being formed by two passes of each tuft strand of the group through the ground, the tuft strands in each binding area being separated by parallel ground threads and floated at the back over a plurality of perpendicular ground threads between said passes, the tuft strands being out and sheared to form separatedupstanding in a regular pattern in the fabric,

3. A fabric having a woven ground of warp and weft threads, and a plurality of groups of heavier, lightly twisted, compressible tuft strands woven with the ground parallel to one of the sets of threads thereof, floated at the front of the fabric and connected in the ground by binding areas which are small in comparison with the spaces between them, the several binding areas being of regular repeated configuration, each formed by two passes of each .tuft strand of the group through the ground, thetuft strands in each binding area being separated by parallel ground threads and fioated'at the back over a plurality of perpendicular ground threads between said passes.

4. A fabric having a woven ground of warp and weft threads, and a plurality of groups of heavier, lightly twisted compressible tuft strands woven with the ground parallel to one of the sets of threads thereof, floated at the front of the fabric and connected in the ground by binding areas which aresmall in comparison with the spaces between them, each binding area be tufts ing formed by two passes of each tuft strand of the group through the ground, the passes of some of the tuft strands through the ground being staggered with respect to others, the tuft strands in each binding area being separated by parallel ground threads and floated at the back over a plurality of perpendicular ground threads between said passes.

5. A tufted fabric having a woven ground of warp and weft threads, and a plurality of tufts separated by portions of the ground, each tuft composed of a plurality of relatively large diameter, lightly twisted, compressible tuft strands parallel to one set of threads of the ground and woven therewith, each tuft strand projecting at both ends from the ground and connected with the ground by two passes therethrough and floating at the back between said passes over a plurality of perpendicular threads of the ground, the strands of each tuft being separated at each pass through the ground by parallel ground threads and the back-floated portions of the tuft strands forming binding areas of regular configuration.

HENRY J. GOULET. 

